Michael Owen unleashes bizarre rant at ‘bravery’ of England after Mexico win | OneFootball

Enjoyed that England win did you? Well Michael Owen said you shouldn’t have as there is nothing “brave” about winning a football match.

A World Cup tends to bring a country together in turbulent times, but Owen has said sod that, let me tear into this international achievement that was far greater than anything I ever achieved in my career. Yes, even including that night in Munich.

With the England squad getting plenty of praise, Owen has told them it’s nothing compared to…umm…fighting in a war?

“They stuck together. They found a way. That takes character and it will only strengthen the belief within the squad. Fans are right to be proud of what they saw,’ Owen wrote for the Daily Mail.

“But I will also say this – I think we mistake what bravery in football actually is. We are celebrating players throwing themselves in front of shots as if they’ve gone to war. Come on, a football is a bag of air.

“If I walked into my local pub and asked 11 blokes if they’d throw their body in front of a ball for England, they’d all do it.”

Michael, have you heard of something called context? No one is saying kicking a “bag of air” (it’s actually a butyl rubber bladder full of air if we are getting technical) is the same as going to war but humans tend to have the capacity to say words that are relevant to the situation they’re talking about.

Also, aren’t you the guy that said this: “I’d eat an apple watching the TV at night and the bin would be by the TV about six metres away.

“And I had the bravery to throw the apple and miss and for there to be a stain on the wallpaper.”

Mother Owen may come down with an iron fist but we dare say that even that is not “brave” when compared to taking bullets on the front line.

Owen continued: “It felt like all we needed at the Azteca was for one of our players to have a ball smashed in their face and a bit of claret on the white jersey and they’d be worshipped forever.”

Sorry to butt in again Michael, but you seem to have missed the quite crucial component as to why this England team is being praised. They won.

If they came off with bloodied shirts having been battered 4-0, do you really think they would be praised? It is because they won a World Cup knockout game, something you only ever did once in your career by the way.

“That’s a typical English attitude and it goes back generations. It’s nonsense and we’re fooling ourselves. We’re better than that. We need to be better than that.”

Better than what? They won the game. Brazil are out, should we have a go at their typical attitude? What about the Germans? What about the Italians who aren’t even at the tournament?

“Real bravery is wanting the ball when 80,000 people are willing you to make a mistake. It’s showing for possession when everyone else is hiding. It’s taking the ball off your mate when he’s in trouble, knowing that if you lose it you’ll be the one criticised.”

At this point, I’m not sure Owen even knows who he is having a go at. Is it the players? The fans? The coach? Owen seems to have a beef with the idea of being proud of a team that, again, won the game.

“That’s football bravery and that’s what England need more of, if they’re going to win this World Cup.”

Oh don’t worry lads. Owen’s sorted it. The reason we haven’t won the World Cup in 60 years is because we haven’t “taken the ball off your mate when he’s in trouble.”

No wonder he hates movies, no one ever does that in a movie.

By Sam Cooper